Listen & Follow
by NuttyScribbler
Summary: On the eve of Naruto and Sakura's wedding, Hinata gets encouragement from a friend to listen to her heart and follow where it leads


Listen and Follow

A ShinoHinaNaru fic

By

Nutty Scribbler

For

Syaoran no Hime

Wonderful Friend and Talented Authoress

**Happy Valentines Day**

**-**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto.**

**Credits: Sunatic for beta-reading and edition, Omi and Xero for beta-reading.**

-

"Kyaaaa!"

The war-like cry of the kunoichi echoed through out the training area, sending the nearby roosting birds into frightened flight. It was a cry filled with regret, anguish and torment – an obvious plea for help – that cut deep into his heart and soul.

He knew that he was not the one who could heal her heart's wounds. But at the very least, he could help point her in the right direction.

-

She readied her stance and launched the sixty-four palms on the wooden training post. Her face felt wet; it must have been raining. Every bone and muscle in her small body screamed for rest and reprieve but she refused to take heed. All she was aware of was the hollowness in her chest, where her heart used to be.

Tomorrow, he was to be formally sworn in as the Sixth Hokage in the presence of all of Konoha. Tomorrow, he was to marry the Fifth's apprentice in order to consolidate the Leaf's power. Tomorrow, she was to walk up to him and congratulate him and his new bride as the Hyuuga Clan's heir apparent.

It did not matter that it was a marriage of political convenience. It did not matter that it was obvious that the soon-to-be bride still pined for her other genin cell-mate. It did not matter that Naruto himself told her that his feelings for his fiancée were no longer as intense as those from his childhood days.

All that did not matter because she never told him how she felt about him, about them and about everything. She never told him that her feelings had remained unchanged since their Academy days. Tomorrow, she was going to lose the man whom she never owned.

"Hinata."

Hyuuga Hinata whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. Aburame Shino stood before her, his image blurred. Despite her incapacitated vision, he did not look wet. So, it was not raining after all. Off handedly, she wondered what her clan would say if they found out she was becoming near sighted. Great; another reason for them to be disappointed with her.

When her attention finally focused again, her former teammate was gently wiping her face with the sleeve of his jacket. Her vision cleared up. Only then did she realize that she had been crying all the while.

Embarrassed, she jerked away and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She did not dare trust herself to speak.

"What are you doing here?" His question was left unanswered. She refused to meet his eyes – she could already feel his shaded gaze probing at her. Besides, he already knew.

"You're crying for him." Shino's statement was to the point, just like him. But there was a philosophical air to it, almost as if it was a universal truth worth pondering upon. "I think he will be sad if he knew you were shedding tears for him. At least, I know I am."

"Shino-kun…" There was nothing much Hinata could say to her friend. She wasn't Naruto – she knew how he felt towards her all this while. But she couldn't accept nor reciprocate his feelings towards her. Her heart was not hers to give anymore; it had long ago given itself to its new owner who wasn't even aware he was having it.

"Sometimes…" he hesitated, as if mentally trying to phrase his words in a concise manner, "you need to listen to your heart and follow where it leads."

"Follow my heart?" she questioned, her voice hollow tinged with bitterness. "My heart has gone to a place that I cannot possibly follow, no matter…"

She was abruptly cut off by the feel of soft lips on hers. It was an entirely chaste kiss. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her and their lips aligned perfectly, just the barest of touches. It only lasted for a moment, but for both of them – it was a shortened version of eternity.

It did not last forever. He released her and stepped back, his gaze firmly locked with hers.

"I have listened to my heart, and I have followed it to where it led me," he said. His voice was tinged with sorrow and regret. "Because I know that only then I can retrieve what I have lost. And now, it is your turn to do so, Hinata."

Hinata stood there and looked at Shino in astonishment and awe for a moment. It was unlike Shino to be so poetic and whimsical. Yet deep down, she knew what he said made sense. For the longest time yet, she was afraid to believe in herself, to listen to her heart. But Shino was right – how can you retrieve something that you have lost if you do not go to it first?

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you, Shino-kun," she whispered, blinking furiously to hold back her tears of gratitude and apology. "You're a great person and someday, you'll find someone who will make you very happy."

"Go already; dawn is breaking soon," he ordered gently. "It'll be too late then."

She released him and mustered up a smile before running away towards to village. She could almost hear it calling to her. It was calling to her to set it free.

-

He watched her slight figure disappear from his sight. There was a slight twisting in his stomach which he quelled immediately. He had listened to his heart and done what it had told him to. That was enough to allow him to move on without anymore regrets.

Because Aburame Shino understood perfectly that one should always listen and follow his or her heart's desire – whether it was telling one to fight for his or her happiness or to let it go.

-

Post talk:

Personally, I'm really proud of this piece simply because it's the FIRST alternate pairing or love triangle I've done without going up on severe insanity mode. It's pretty serious and angst-ridden… but it's okay. Given the plot is not that awesome or complicated, nor is it that deep or humorous.

Beta-reader Xero says that there is a fallacy in the theory of Naruto and Sakura marrying to consolidate the power of the leaf. I tried to reason it off as popularity vote, politicking and power-up duo. Unfortunate, in the end, it was decided that the real reason why I decided to pair Naruto up with Sakura instead of a girl from another village is because I want to irritate Syao-chan. Hah! This NaruSaku hint is payback for your NejiHina in _Mine for a Night_!

To all my dear readers and reviewers of Second Best and all other fics, I apologize for the lack of updates. Recently, I've been dragged into a pit called Uni Life and I'm still scrapping myself out of it. Second Best Chapter 3 is half done. The other half is being mentally narrated out, if that is any consolation.

I made myself a writing blog: . I'll post cookies and updates there… as it is quite difficult to notify my readers when I go on semi-hiatus mode. I'll be updating it later with more stuff.

Anyway. Thank you for reading up till here and hope you enjoyed it.


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